John 12.24to28

Our day at the "Jehovah's United Family" assembly (it does ramble a bit, I apologize in advance 😬)

I peacefully attended the first half of the "Jehovah's United Family" assembly with my two kids (my husband had stayed home to work on a project) and then my kids and I were refused entrance for the second half after we went outside to eat lunch in my car. 

The reason I was refused entrance was for talking to my friends before and after the morning session. (I even got to talk to the CO for a minute as we crossed paths on the stairs after watching the baptism. He didn't know who I was, or he wouldn't have talked to me. I got to tell him I enjoyed his talk, and he was telling me about the afternoon. He knows about my situation with the corrupt elders because I had written to him in depth, but he had never met me in person, so he had no idea I was the one who had written to him.) Most people there didn't know a committee of imperfect men who don't have enough faith in the ransom decided they think I am not worthy of speaking to because I told on some bad stuff the elders were doing and they didn't like it. Those bad elders were mad other people weren't shunning me at the assembly. I wasn't saying "I'm disfellowshipped" because I am not disfellowshipped by Jehovah or Jehovah's friends. Their kangaroo court doesn't count with Jehovah, and I am proud of keeping my integrity. It was done in Jehovah's strength, and I will boast in Jehovah. I love my brothers and sisters and I'm not going to stop talking to them just because a few clowns want to have their own circus in opposition to Jehovah's Word.

Two mean elders tried to humiliate me publicly when I was talking to my friends, but I turned around and walked away from those elders while they were berating me because Jehovah says to shun ignorant and foolish debates and that "those who have a form of godly devotion but prove false to its power...from these turn away". The two mean elders didn't like it when I walked away from them, because they wanted to bully me more in front of everybody right there on the assembly floor. I've known those people for over 20 years. 

When I was walking out the lobby to go to my car with my kids, the meaner one hollered "Are you leaving?" And I said, "no, my stuff is still on the chairs. I'm eating lunch. Thank you for being so concerned about me, Joe." (I don't think he was really.) When my children and I came back at the end of the lunch time break, two more elders were in attack mode waiting for us. I didn't even get all the way across the crosswalk before they stopped us. They sent the tallest guy they had. (I am 5'2".) The two elders seemed kind of embarrassed, since I've known them both, one of them since he was a kid, and the other one his kids are a little older than mine so his wife and I were in the mother's room around the same time for years. They knew I hadn't "disrupted" anything. I sat in clear view all morning. I had paid attention to the speaker. I had sung the songs. I had encouraged the friends. They were just mad because I wouldn't bow down to them and their false doctrines that are antichrist. They were mad because I kept my integrity to Jehovah. 

When they said we couldn't go back in, I didn't argue with him, and I think he was surprised (because the other two elders tell him who knows what about me) and he shared a scripture with me about being reasonable. (I think he might need to meditate on that verse, maybe that's why he picked it?) They said I could go get my things and come back out, but I said if I went in I wouldn't want to come out so could they fetch them for me and they sent another brother to do it. We all joked around, because I know all of them (the brother they sent to fetch had come over my home before with his wife for hospitality, we've known him for years too.) It was just ridiculous. A bunch of other elders with neon necklaces and badges were all staring at us but pretending not to stare at us. I've known many of them since they were Bible studies or opposing mates.

Then my kids and I went to the car and played "Because I'm Happy" by Pharrell Williams at a fun volume and drove by and waved as we took the long way out of the parking lot along the entrance where all the attendants were watching us like hawks as they divided us from Jehovah's Family so they could go back in the "Jehovah's United Family" assembly without us showing love to the rest of the family. 

We went to Starbucks locally and watched Dubtown videos with their Wi-Fi and sent a group email to over 70 of the elders and friends in the assembly to tell them exactly why we didn't come back in, with details about the names of the Gestapo elders involved and how it all played out so they would know we didn't abandon Jehovah's United Family - we were forced to leave. We also sent them a picture of us eating snacks at Starbucks.

Then when it was about 10 minutes before the end of the afternoon program, we drove back to the exit area of the rented assembly hall facility and parked in the adjacent bank parking lot with that same "Happy" song on repeat. I had brought along a big sign in my trunk that said "Jehovah's United Family" on a foam board and stood on the sidewalk and held it up right by the assembly hall driveway exit where the traffic light was so that when all the friends were driving out and had to stop at the light they could see it. The kids and I waved and most of the friends waved back or honked or blinked their lights and some even took pictures or video and rolled down their windows and said "that's wonderful - just like at the international convention! What a good idea!" (They didn't know I was "disfellowshipped" for the most part - some did and they waved anyway, others did and they pretended I didn't exist. It was funny when the stoplight was red and one sister was obviously extremely uncomfortable that I was holding a sign saying "Jehovah's United Family" and she was anything but "united" in her love for one of Jehovah's family. She was from my kingdom hall. I remember when she was a Bible study too.)

The best was when the meaner elder who kicked us out of the assembly and his wife drove by. He's one of the ones I told on initially who was mad at me, the one who later was promoted to COBE and was the chairman of my judicial hearing committee. From a distance, they couldn't tell who we were, so they were waving really big. But when they got closer, they were quite surprised and immediately turned their glances away. I think he was hoping he ruined my chance to say goodbye to the friends, but he forgets that Jehovah is my Dad. (I don't even think half the elders believe in Jehovah! They say they do, but they don't act like it.)

Jehovah is so cool! 

After we got home, I messaged some of my friends that didn't know I was disfellowshipped (it was less than a year ago, and this was the first in person assembly since before COVID) and told them I don't expect them to keep in contact with me because of the current doctrine and I understand the pressure they are under, but I also explained why I view that shunning business as unscriptural and antichrist and therefore I cannot support it by pretending I am part of some caste system. It would be a sin to say that Jehovah supports something satanic like that. Those guys lie about Jehovah all the time, I hate it. Jehovah will fix it for His Name's Sake. They will have to know that He Is Jehovah when He fixes it. Good thing for all of us that the ransom is so big.

Anyway, that was our day at the assembly. I had been so scared to go, I had decided several times not to go at all, and I begged Jehovah to make me strong and courageous. He did. I asked him for joy and fun and love. He gave it. He did so many other things that were hilarious during the assembly too, just little things that made me laugh. Jehovah turned their curses into blessings. It was the BEST ASSEMBLY we have ever been to! I will attach a couple of the pictures... I will praise Jehovah, the Hearer of Prayer!